We're now 6 months from the 1st recorded case of COVID-19 in the United States. Since then, over 3,000,000 Americans have been infected and over 125,000 have passed away due to complications related to the virus. While the virus continues to rage through the US, people are worried about themselves and their relatives, and rightly so. We still don't know a whole lot about COVID-19, but we do know that it is continuing to spread and cause deaths nationwide. Some states have been able to flatten the curve and keep cases down, while in others the virus is surging to new heights. While the spread continues, how can we go about preventing it?
Stay at Home
While this isn't realistic for most people, staying home and staying isolated is the best way to ensure that you don't get sick and you don't spread any sickness. This is especially important if you have symptoms or feel sick. And if you get tested and come back positive, you should be staying at home for at least 14 days to prevent passing COVID along to anyone else.
One of the most effective methods of preventing the spread of the coronavirus so far has been the initiation of lockdowns. Since people were stuck at home, the virus had a tough time spreading between people and cases were able to be minimized. While these lockdowns had the positive effect of preventing the spread of a virus, they also hurt many small businesses and caused economic growth to fall. This lead to the question of how should places start to reopen and help the economy get back to normal, while also minimizing the damage done to it's citizens through the spread of infection.
As economies continue to open, staying at home is still an effective way to prevent the spread of COVID. Some say that the lockdowns helped reduce the amount of cases by more than 10 times what they could have been and cut the number of deaths in half. It's important to stay as safe as possible, especially if you, or someone that you're close to, is at a higher-risk of having complications related to COVID-19.
Follow Social Distancing Guidelines to Stop the Spread of COVID-19
We've all heard it by now, stay at least 6 feet apart from people, if possible. This is because the disease can spread through droplets in the air from a sneeze, cough, or just talking. By keeping your distance from someone, you lower the likelihood that these droplets will reach you and have enough particles to make you sick. Or, if you are the one who's sick, even without showing symptoms, you aren't able to spread the infection to others.
Another great way to prevent spread is to limit the amount of time spent indoors. When indoors, especially in smaller rooms, the virus has less area to spread out and can linger in the air. Being inside for long periods of time and in close proximity to others that you don't see often, can cause further spreading. When going out, be sure to follow guidelines and stay vigilant.
Wear a Mask
Many countries where mask wearing has become normalized have been able to reduce the spread of COVID. They've begun to open up and get closer to being back to normal. When wearing a mask, remember to put it on and take it off by holding the ear loops and ties. Also make sure that the mask covers your mouth and nose to prevent the virus from getting in, or out. If you use a cloth face covering, make sure you wash it often and dry it in high heat in the dryer or leave it in sunlight to make sure it's disinfected.
We're all in this together and we need to work together to help prevent the spread of Coronavirus. No one wants to spend all their time stuck at home, but following simple guidelines like wearing a mask and social distancing can allow us to slow the spread, while minimizing the effects on your life. These simple steps can help slow down the spread of COVID and save lives. Not everyone will follow these guidelines, and maybe even actively fight them, but by enough of us doing so, we can save lives and limit spread.
